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It is a foreign concept, especially when weighed against the sights around Joe Louis Arena during the quiet of an off day in the NHL playoffs.

There is an endless display of photos of the greats from the Original Six franchise, past and present, a team that has now been in the post-season 22 consecutive seasons.

There is captain Henrik Zetterberg patiently talking to the media in the middle of the team's dressing room, just as he did so regularly in the team's recent championship campaigns.

And finally, in an office just off that locker room, there is Red Wings legend Ted Lindsay holding court.

So just the thought of labeling the Wings as underdogs is difficult to say out loud.

"Whatever," Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard said when asked about the new role after practice Wednesday, the eve of Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal against the Chicago Blackhawks.

"I don't think it really bothers us all that much. A lot of people have counted us out for many years now, saying we're too old and our leadership's getting too old. Those guys just go out and prove the naysayers wrong. A lot of people picked the Hawks to sweep us in four and we're playing great hockey against them right now."

Howard has noticed one difference, however.

As they might feel if they got up some coin at a Greektown Casino craps table just down the road from the Joe, Detroit fans can't help but feeling they are are rolling with house money now. Even with a 2-1 series lead against the top-seeded and regular-season champion Hawks, prior to Wednesday's action the Wings were fifth in odds to win the Cup among the eight remaining teams.

"I think it's fun, it's very different," said Howard, who with stellar performances in the past two games is a big reason his team holds the edge. "Most years the Red Wings are heavily favoured so this year the fans are having a lot of fun with it, too. You can definitely feel the excitement in the barn.

"It's not the way we look at it though. The bar has been set so high from guys before us. You can always just sense the heart and the passion the guys have in the dressing room. We want to go out there and not only play hard for our fans, but play hard for the guys who played here before us."

To Howard's point, it is next to impossible to consider the Wings as long shots, even though it took until the final game of the regular-season to clinch a playoff spot. But as coach Mike Babcock pointed out Wednesday, the depth of the franchise -- including its AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids that is in that league's final four after eliminating the Toronto Marlies a night earlier -- has ensured a steady flow of talent.

It may have taken some time for the younger players to get up to speed with the Wings' level of excellence and expectation, but after a rollicking 3-1 win here Monday, they appear to have arrived.

The Hawks, meanwhile, are looking to get it back in a hurry. While their opponent has shown an ability to come back in a series -- three times already this spring -- fresh in coach Joel Quenneville's mind would have to be a year ago, when the Phoenix Coyotes jumped out to a 2-1 lead and bounced the Hawks in six. While that series was loaded with overtime drama, the Hawks were unable to prevail.

There's another potential factor at play, as well.

As the Los Angeles Kings proved on their Cup run last season, sneaking into the playoffs just to get your butt kicked (in the infamous words of former Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke) no longer seems an issue with any team in the league.

Add in the pedigree of the Wings and you've got as live a long shot as you are going to find.

"With how playoffs went last year and L.A. winning and being the eight seed and just the way that the league is so close now, I don't think there is such a thing as a huge underdog," Detroit winger Drew Miller said. "Our fans are very excited and I'm sure they had their doubts at various points in the season. But in this locker room, there was none of that kind of thought. It was 'Get in the playoffs and let's see what can happen.'"